More than one at once?

[Michelle]

Do you read one book at a time, or do you often have more than that on the go? I always used to do the former, but now often find I start one book, and my attention gets grabbed by another, so I sometimes end up reading two or more at the same time.. often depending on my mood.

[Louise]

I only have one on the go ay the minute but I normally have at least two so I can decide which to read whatever the mood takes me

[tidypijin]

:reading: Like Louise I usually have two or three on the go and pick up to suit the mood and how long I'm likely to be waiting around. Weight of books when in transit is an important consideration, at present I'm juggling a rucksack; two crutches; a plaster cast and an arm wound. I tend to keep any hardbacks for indoors and try to limit the thickness of paperbacks when on the move to around 300 pages tops.

[Stuart]

A few years back I'd have thought it a bit odd to have more than one book at a time. But, recently, I have gotten bogged down in a "boring" part of a book and had to take a "refresher" by trying something else.

[Libby]

I usually only have one fiction book on the go at any time, but I do swop about with non-fiction. I quite often have 2 which I am reading for the first time, plus a third which I read regularly (usually "Everyday Zen" by Charlotte Joko Beck).

If I have more than 2 first-timers, it's usually a sign that I'm giving up on at least one of them. It's a bad habit, but I hate leaving books unfinished. I'm trying to develop the art of shutting them and putting them back on the shelf or - harder still - taking them back to the library, unread.

[Debbie]

I have more than one on the go all the time. I reread old favourites whenever I have nothing else, then if I get something new, I will read that, then go back to the old book. Or sometimes I have two different genres on the go - I won't read horror at night (I'm a wimp!) so I will have a bedtime book as well.

Debbie

[Kell]

I used to have anything up to half a dozenon the go at once & would have them deposited all over the place so I'd never be too far from a book. Lately, though, I've been doing the one-book-at-a-time thing as I work my way through my list. I'm not sure why other than I find it easier to write aw review if I'm only concentrating on one book. That said, I often start the next book while I'm mulling that last one over to work on the review, so i suppose that defeats the purpose really - LOL!

I think that if I ever get to the end of my "to read" list, I may well go back to more than one on the go at a time, but I'll be honest & admit that i usually do that with books I've read before, so they don't require my full attention as I already know what happens.

[Mamacita]

I'm guilty of being a schizophrenic reader, too. I get in these "moods". I'll want to read a mystery, then the next night, I'll pick up a women's lit, then grab a history to take to work, blah, blah...

But--that's why God gave us bookmarks! :mrgreen:

[Michelle]

I have recently found myself reading quite a few at the same time. and yes, it does seem to reflect on my mood. Just shows you my moods aren't exactly 'stable' these days! :lol:

[Maureen]

Usually I just read one at a time, but a couple of months ago I had a couple of boxfuls of books to give to the RSPCA, and when I carried out the books I dropped one in my van. Obviously I am not going back to the RSPCA with a book so I left it in the van gathering dust.......till I had to wait in the van to pick up my son from school. So now I read a few pages of that book whenever I am waiting. I am almost at the end too!

[sf1818]

I have such a backlog of books that I often find myself reading more than one at a time.

I really enjoy buying books - is getting out of control. :D

[Maureen]

I really enjoy buying books - is getting out of control. :D

Me too - I just wish they were a bit cheaper and I had more space.

[Kell]

Well, I'm very tempted to start reading a 2nd book as I'm really not enjoying The Lovely Bones very much. I'm finding myself feeling angry & out of sorts while I'm reading it & I think that's dedtracting from the pleasure of reading. I don't know whether I should just give it up or continue i nthe hopes that it improves. If I'm continuing, does it warant my full attention? Am all undecided all of a sudden!

[Maureen]

I finished my "waiting in the van" book. Must put another one there...how will waiting be tollerable? But it has to be a book that I don't want to devour. A dilemma of sorts! compted

[Loricat]

One at a time only.

Certain books evoke certain moods in me as I'm reading them. I have trouble switching over from one mood to another when it comes to books, especially if one of the books is serious or somber and the other is more light and comedic. Reading two books at once usually requires an emotional or mental shift I don't usually feel capable of making.

[Loricat]

Well, I'm very tempted to start reading a 2nd book as I'm really not enjoying The Lovely Bones very much. I'm finding myself feeling angry & out of sorts while I'm reading it & I think that's dedtracting from the pleasure of reading.

Which parts or character(s) are angering you?

[Kell]

The main character is bugging me a lot & I got angry right at the start when she managed to stupidly get herself into such a dangerous position in the first place. I think I would have much preferred it if she were stalked & attacked without her adding to her own downfall in the first few pages. I was raging at what an idiot she was being. I mean, yes, it was the 70's, a slightly more innocent time, but at no time in my life, even when very small, could I ever have been enticed into an underground bunker with a man like that.

I'm easing off a little now I'm getting into it a bit, but I'll admit the Heaven scenes are kind of off-putting to me too, so I'm tending to gloss over them just a little bit so I can get back to the actual story.

I've decided to continue & finish it, but Im' a little frustrated as I so wanted to enjoy this book & it's just not what I was expecting at all.

[Loricat]

The main character is bugging me a lot & I got angry right at the start when she managed to stupidly get herself into such a dangerous position in the first place. I think I would have much preferred it if she were stalked & attacked without her adding to her own downfall in the first few pages. I was raging at what an idiot she was being. I mean, yes, it was the 70's, a slightly more innocent time, but at no time in my life, even when very small, could I ever have been enticed into an underground bunker with a man like that.

I'm easing off a little now I'm getting into it a bit, but I'll admit the Heaven scenes are kind of off-putting to me too, so I'm tending to gloss over them just a little bit so I can get back to the actual story.

I've decided to continue & finish it, but Im' a little frustrated as I so wanted to enjoy this book & it's just not what I was expecting at all.

Interesting. I liked the little girl's descriptions of heaven, although I have to say I wasn't sure about them at first either. But something about her picture of heaven grew on me.

I'm more like you and couldn't see myself lured into a situation with a man like this either, but thousands of children in the U.S. are abducted or lured into dangerous situations each year by seemingly innocuous adults; so ultimately, I could buy the scenario without any problem.

However, I was frustrated and aggravated by certain characters as well, particularly as the story went on. Since you're still reading it, I won't say anything else. But I do understand where you're coming from. Totally.

[Kell]

Well, I finished it today & I can't say my opinion of it got any better unfortunately. I'm off to write my review in a minute...

[Michelle]

Kell, you really do read at quite a pace. Are you a fast reader, or do you spend a lot of time at it?

[Kell]

A bit of both - I get 2 x 20 minute breaks & a lunch hour every day & the entire time is spent reading while I have my cuppa or lunch. Then when I'm making dinner, i tend to make something that gets stuck in the oven & so I grab maybe 30 minutes or so reading while it cooks (I'm not much of a TV person). I read in the bath every night (that's another hour of "me time") & on Tuesday, Thursday & Sunday nights, Dale hosts an online game from 6pm till 10pm, so that's 4 hours straight where I don't have to feel guilty for neglecting him.

So, on average, I get 3hrs 10 minutes every day for reading, plus 3 times a week, I get up to an extra 3 hours (I count the bath hour in the four), so that gives me a good 6 hours on those days.

Take out maybe an hour or so for online stuff, that still gives me a lot of book time.

And I love it that way! :reading:

I don't tend to get quite so much reading done on the weekends, as I'm usually running round trying to get grocery shopping done & meeting buddies for coffee, or doing all the housework I've neglected through the week - LOL!

[Nathan]

Do you read one book at a time, or do you often have more than that on the go?

I always read just one book at a time. Otherwise I forget the story or mix up the charcters :tong:

[Nici76]

I always read just one book at a time. Otherwise I forget the story or mix up the charcters :tong:

Me too! I'm a nightmare for doing that! :lol:

[wrathofkublakhan]

I have an "at home" book and a "car book" going at the same time.

The car book is normally a trash mystery or easy read so it's easy to remember the plot and the characters -- good for eating out alone, lines at the bank etc.

[DaddysGem]

I have had 2 books going at the same time before, but i find i don't enjoy the books as much.

[Janet]

Normally only one at a time, but since I've started this AS Level English, I've often had two on the go at the same time! It's okay if they're different genres. I wouldn't like it if they were too similar in style!

[Icecream]

I remmber that Bagpuss. The good old days of studying, reading text books and fiction at the same time. I was likely to have about 20 books on the go, but of course textbooks don't get fully read (of course you are talking about having two fiction books on the go though).

I currently have two fiction books on the go though. As my chosen time to read at the moment is while breastfeeding, I have one book on the coffee table downstairs, and one on the armchair in the bedroom.

[Janet]

I've noticed that several people seem to read two books at the same time, and that Gyre is reading three - including two by the same author (Margaret Atwood).

I'm not a particularly fast reader so I think I'd get confused if I tried to follow two storylines at once.

How do those of you who read multiple books at the same time remember who did what in which book?

[Karen]

Good question.

When I was younger I quite often had more than one book on the go at once, but now I much prefer to read one at a time. Like you Bagpuss I think I'd probably get confused.

[Kell]

I used to have as many as half a dozen on the go at any given time - they were all dotted around the house and in various bags, so I'd always have one of them handy to read. Nowadays I tend to stick to one book and one audio book, although occasionally, if I'm reading a chunky book that isn't totally engrossing me, I'll read a shorter book in between and come back to the thicker one.

I do tend to prefer one at a time nowadays - I my brain gets confuddled unless they're very very different.

[Gyre]

I read on alternative days Bagpuss, but if I am really into a book, I will concentrate on that solely. Sometimes I do get confused though.

I also have books lying about the house, that I have started, then left x

[Fiona]

I don't usually, but at the mo I'm trying to read three (hah) Hemmingway (he's boring) The Harsh Cry of the Moon because I've been waiting for ages and Harry Potter 5.

HP is on the back burner for now, Hemmingway is my toilet book and I'll probably go back to it full time after I've finished the Harsh Cry of the Moon.

As I said, this time is an exception. Occasionally I might take a break and read a book inbetween. Usually I prefer to read one at a time otherwise it just takes too long to actually finish a book.

[Icecream]

When I was reading two I had one for day and one for night as I was up with the baby. I always had two very different books so as not to get confused.

[Angel]

On the rare occassion that I have had 2 on the go, I find that I don't tend to get confused at all!

I must confess that I now have a book in my work bag for lunch breaks - a new concept for me!! My only problem is that I don't get long enough and I often go back to the ward hungry because I've been concentrating more on the book than eating!! :lol:

[Moonchild]

I rarely have two on the go as I reckon I'd get too muddled up and lose track :mrgreen:

Very occasionally I do but the second one is usually something very short and uncomplicated like one from the Enid Blyton series I'm currently re-reading.

[clockwork frog]

I usually have two or three books on the go at any one time but they are normally quite different types of books and I will read them at different times of the day and in different places so confussion is not really an issue.

If I have more than one novel on the boil then I sometimes sit for a couple of minutes with the book closed and just run through, in my mind, a brief re-cap of the story so far to remind myself of the characters and what they are up to, etc..

[Laramie]

I don't really know how I remember what's going on. I just kind of do!:)

[Echo]

I often will have more than one book going on at once, especially if one is particularly long. Sometimes I will stop reading one, read something else, and then go back to the original book. If it's been awhile, though, I will either have to skim through what I've already read, or start the book over. My main goal is to always read one book through before starting on something else, but it can be so hard!

[Oblomov]

I do parallel reading of two or three books, but never the same format. If I am reading a thriller, it would be the only one of that genre; but I might be reading a classic or biography at the same time.

I also have a large collection of non-fiction books related to my various subjects of interest, eg: Titanic, Unsolved Mysteries, JFK Assassination, WW2, Astronomy, Aviation and so on. I use those books mainly for reference and can look them up at any time, irrespective of what else I am reading at the time.

[angerball]

I've given up on reading more than one book at once. I tried reading a non-fiction and fiction book at the same time, but I found that I put aside the non-fiction book for months, as I was distracted by fiction. :giggle: I find a lot of non-fiction challenging to read, regardless of how interesting it is. I think it's because I just prefer to be swept away by a good story. :mrgreen: I think I will have to try to read non-fiction and fiction together again at some point, as I have a huge 'history of the world' book that I'm dying to sink my teeth into, and which will probably take me months to finish. :thud:But two novels at the same time? Noooo, it's something I wouldn't be able to do without getting quite confused!

[Hazeltree]

I tried reading a non-fiction and fiction book at the same time, but I found that I put aside the non-fiction book for months, as I was distracted by fiction.

I often pick up a non-fiction book to read at the same time as a novel - especially if I've just bought it, but the novel always wins!

The only time I've had two books on the go is if I have gone upstairs to feed the baby and forgotten to take my current book with me. I tend to pick up the next book I want to read, but I try not to get distracted by it until I read my current book. Unless I remember the beginning really well or it is a book I've read before, I usually start it again from the beginning when I start to read it properly just so I am into the story.

At the moment, I have picked up The House at Riverton upstairs on occasion but I've not read much - I need to finish the Jacobite Trilogy first!

[Kasei]

Haha, oh yes. I'm very guilty of multitasking with my novels. A few weeks ago I was running around the house frantic looking for more bookmarks because I was tired of using tissues and bits of paper to hold my places.:smile2: I do the same thing at the library--every time I go to return a book I inevitably come back with at least two more and then start reading them, it's a bad (and sometimes confusing) habit. Especially when I get so many going that I don't have enough time to read them all before they're due--the compounded suspense from multiple unfinished books is horrid I can assure you. :thud: I'm trying to get better though. I still check out a lot of books but I'm now trying to finish them one or two at a time in order to keep things manageable.

[kitty]

I have never done this before until last month. Both books were over 800 pages I think. Its not something I would rush to do again, but I wouldnt rule it out. I read Wicked by Jilly Cooper and I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb. I think I managed it as they were two very different books.

[NiceguyEddie]

I only ever have one on the go at a time these days. When I was younger, I could have more than one going at the same time. The most ever was four, but I never managed to get all the way with all four.

These days, one is plenty for me as I have neither the stamina or more importantly the memory any longer. ;)

[Ruth]

I never read more than one book at a time. I did it once, when I was reading American Psycho - it is a brilliant book, but so disturbing that I couldn't read it in bed at night, so I read The Lovely Bones as well.